Glimpse into Cutler's psyche

Friday

Jul 30, 2010 at 12:01 AMJul 30, 2010 at 4:00 PM

I just got a little taste of what everybody has called Jay Cutler's negative body (or in this case, face) language, and the Chicago Bears have not even taken the football field yet.Though it was not football related, the look I got from Cutler, the Bears second-year quarterback, gave me a glimpse into what insiders have been talking about since his arrival two offseasons ago. While hanging outside the team's dining hall -- a regular routine for Bears beat reporters trying to get early-day quotes from players -- Cutler strolled past the throng of media reps appearing to be on his way back to his dorm room. I casually approached him and asked him if he had a minute to talk real quick.At first, though he was about five feet away, he continued on his way, acting as if he never heard me. I gave it one more shot, saying "Hey bro, I know you're a busy man, but do you got a couple of seconds to talk?" The look he gave me after that, while picking up his walking pace, was something I haven't seen since my teenage days as a punk out looking for trouble.His glare -- which I often use on my own kids when they are in the process of messing something up -- was as potent as any words, and it instantly turned me off to his ways. Maybe he was already having a bad day, or was just in one of those moods. We all have 'em. But I've got a strong feeling that's the kind of guy he is. We will see over the next couple of weeks of training camp.Let me just say that the rest of the Bear players -- especially my old buddy Garrett Wolfe, who still remembered me from his NIU days -- either talked to whomever approached him, or at least gave a decent excuse for why he wouldn't."Hey, it's training camp, we're all used to talking to you guys whenever we need to," Wolfe told me while stopping to chat for about five minutes after his lunch. "I know how it works; it's just part of the job."Cutler could use a little lesson from Wolfe in how to deal with your "job," especially when you're raking in millions of dollars for playing a game. I know GW doesn't get quite as many interview requests as Cutler, but come on. We're all just doing our jobs, man.Even Brian Urlacher, probably the team's spokesperson on the defensive side of the ball, said "Sorry dude, I'm good right now," when Sun-Times reporter (and my old high school backfield mate) Neil Hayes asked for a moment of his time.If I got paid the kind of cash these guys are rolling in, I would talk to whoever, whenever, wherever I was called upon. That's just me; I'm clearly no star QB. But it's all about who you are deep down, and I'm not sure Cutler is the kind of guy I would want to hang out with. But like I said: That's just me.

Jay Taft

I just got a little taste of what everybody has called Jay Cutler's negative body (or in this case, face) language, and the Chicago Bears have not even taken the football field yet.Though it was not football related, the look I got from Cutler, the Bears second-year quarterback, gave me a glimpse into what insiders have been talking about since his arrival two offseasons ago. While hanging outside the team's dining hall -- a regular routine for Bears beat reporters trying to get early-day quotes from players -- Cutler strolled past the throng of media reps appearing to be on his way back to his dorm room. I casually approached him and asked him if he had a minute to talk real quick.At first, though he was about five feet away, he continued on his way, acting as if he never heard me. I gave it one more shot, saying "Hey bro, I know you're a busy man, but do you got a couple of seconds to talk?" The look he gave me after that, while picking up his walking pace, was something I haven't seen since my teenage days as a punk out looking for trouble.His glare -- which I often use on my own kids when they are in the process of messing something up -- was as potent as any words, and it instantly turned me off to his ways. Maybe he was already having a bad day, or was just in one of those moods. We all have 'em. But I've got a strong feeling that's the kind of guy he is. We will see over the next couple of weeks of training camp.Let me just say that the rest of the Bear players -- especially my old buddy Garrett Wolfe, who still remembered me from his NIU days -- either talked to whomever approached him, or at least gave a decent excuse for why he wouldn't."Hey, it's training camp, we're all used to talking to you guys whenever we need to," Wolfe told me while stopping to chat for about five minutes after his lunch. "I know how it works; it's just part of the job."Cutler could use a little lesson from Wolfe in how to deal with your "job," especially when you're raking in millions of dollars for playing a game. I know GW doesn't get quite as many interview requests as Cutler, but come on. We're all just doing our jobs, man.Even Brian Urlacher, probably the team's spokesperson on the defensive side of the ball, said "Sorry dude, I'm good right now," when Sun-Times reporter (and my old high school backfield mate) Neil Hayes asked for a moment of his time.If I got paid the kind of cash these guys are rolling in, I would talk to whoever, whenever, wherever I was called upon. That's just me; I'm clearly no star QB. But it's all about who you are deep down, and I'm not sure Cutler is the kind of guy I would want to hang out with. But like I said: That's just me.